Attempted rape charges against Strauss Kahn may be dropped over maid's credibility issues

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Junior is preparing to ask that all charges against the former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss Kahn for attempting to rape hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo be dropped by Tuesday over issues related to the credibility of the accuser.

It is believed that the credibility of sole witness, Diallo, is the core reason behind the collapse of the case, and an expert said that Strauss-Kahn could finally return to France after being forced to remain in the U.S for three months, the Daily Mail reports.

The maid has also been accused of lying about her past in Guniea and being involved with criminal elements.

Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, said the Manhattan district attorney's office requested in a letter that Diallo meet with them at 3 pm, adding that if she failed to appear, prosecutors would assume she was not interested in discussing the case.

"This is just another piece of evidence demonstrating what may be the ultimate outcome of this case. There have been many other facts in this office's handling of this case that have led myself and (Kenneth Thompson, another Diallo lawyer) to believe that unfortunately the district attorney's office may dismiss," the paper quoted Wigdor, as saying.

"I believe the harsh tone of the letter is consistent with the unfair way the Manhattan District Attorney's office has treated with Ms. Diallo throughout this process," he added.

There has been widespread speculation that prosecutors would drop the case since late June after they revealed that Diallo had lied repeatedly in her statements and in her application for U.S. asylum.